Road machine



Aug. 3,1926. 1,595,036

H. W. UNDERWOOD ROAD MACHINE Filed Oct. 1Q, 1921 2 sheetsvsheet 1 I M I,Q' HOWQIUZWVWCUOOLZ" Patented Aug. 3, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFEQE.

HOVARD W. UNDERVVOOD, OF MOYLAN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO FIELD, BARKER& UNDERWOOD, OF PHILADELPHIA, FENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

ROAD MACHINE.

Application filed October 10, 1921.. Serial No. 506,753.

This invention relates to road-making machinery, and more particularlyto machinery for concrete roads.

I In laying concrete roads, it is necessary that the concrete be allowedto set under moisture, which latter is sometimes applied by theso-called pending process, in which the 'iecessary. claims are built andthe whole surface of the concrete flooded over with water; andsometimes, where the nature of the operation will not permit of thepuddling process, by covering the concrete over with loose dirt or sandand wetting down this covering. In this latter process, it has beencustomary in the past to apply this dirt covering by shoveling the dirtfrom the sides of the road onto the concrete, which method has beenfound, for certain reasons hereinafter set forth, unsatisfactory, andthe principal object of the present invention is to provide mechanicalmeans for spreading this covering over the concrete and thereby to avoidthe aforesaic disadvantages.

In the attached drawings:

Figure 1, is a plan view of a machine.

made in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2, is a front elevation of the machine, ant

Fig. 3, is an end elevation.

lVith reference to the drawings, the machine comprises an open-frametruck consisting of three lateral cross beams 1, 2 and 3, united by aplurality of cross beams 4, the said beams 1, 2 and 3, being in thepresent instance in the form of eye sections and the cross beams 1 beingangle irons arranged in pairs, one pair at each side of the machine andunderlying the said beams 1, 2 and 3.

As best shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the re spective pairs of cross beams 1carry at both their forward and rear ends bearings 5 for wheels 6, saidbearings depending from the beams and the wheels 6 being of the flangetype, as clearly shown.

Mounted in bearings 7, 7, at one end of the beams 1 and 2, is a'shaft 8which carries a pulley or roller 9, there being also mounted upon thesecross beams with their axes parallel to the axis of the said roller 9, apluralityof rollers 10, 11, 12 and 13,

u on which and the roller 9 o crates an endless belt conveyor 14.clearly shown,

the rollers 10 are mounted in bearings supported upon uprights carriedupon the cross beams 1 and 2, and with the roller 12 whose bearings aremounted upon a superstructure 16 upon the said cross beams, have theirtops substantially in horizontal align- .ment with the top of the roller9. The roller 11 on the other hand is mounted between the beams 1 and 2with lts under side in substantial alignment with the under side of theroller 9, the roller'13, also mounted between the beams 1 and 2,providing a support for the belt intermediate the roller 11 and theroller 9. The superstructure 16 in the present instance is so secured tothe cross beams 1 and 2 as to be adjustable longitudinally of the beams,thereby providing means for taking up slack in the conveyor shaft 20.The shaft 20 is carried in bearings 21, 21, one of which is mounted uponthe beam 2, and the other upon a'beam 22 extending between the beams 2and 3. A bevel gear 23 is fixed to one end of the shaft 20 and mesheswith a bevel 2npon a shaft 25-, which latter shaft is carried inbearings 26, 26, mounted upon uprights 27 and 23 respectively secured tobeams 29 and 30 extending between the cross beams 2 and 3. The shaft 25is operatively connected by means of a gear wheel 31, pinion 32 andgears'33 and 34 with an engine or motor 35, which latter is supported insuitable manner upon beam 36 extending between the cross beams 2 and 3and upon the beam 30.

As clearly shown in the drawings, the pinion 32 and the gear wheel 33are carried by a shaft '37, mounted in a sleeve 38 on the engine body,the gear wheel 34 being secured to the main shaft 39 of the motor,

which shaft in the present instance also carries fly wheels 40, 40.- q

ltionnted in bearings 41, 41, upon two of he cross beams i and upon thebeams 22 and 29, is .ashaft e2, said shaft having at each end a pinion4-3 which meshes with gear wheels 4A, 44, one of which is secured insuitable manner to each of the front wheels 6 of the truck,interconnection between the shaft 12 and the shaft 25 being provided forby means of a gear wheel carried by the shaft 412 and a pinion upon theshaft 23, a further connection between these two shaftsbeingflQQOTIlPllSllQCl by means of sproc ct wheels at? and 48 carriedrespectively by the shafts 2 3 and a2 and by means of an associatedsprocket chain 4,9. The gear wheel 45 and the sprocket i are eachloosely mounted upon their respective shafts, and clutches 50 and 51 areprovided whereby these elements be made fast to the shafts, there beingpi ided l and for manipulating the r clutches. It will be apparent thatdepend 5 on whether the drive takes place through gears 4-5 and 46 orthe s'or ClKGiSfl'l and 48, this shaft will be driven in one directionor the other, the gears being employed for moving the car in a forwarcdirection and the sprockets for reverse.

Mounted upon the superstructure 16 at one end of the cross beams 1 and2, is a hopper 54, said hopper immediately overlying one end of theendless belt conveyer 14, and having its bottom and the lower portion ofits forward end 54 open, whereby material thrown into the hopper iscarried forwardly by the belt 14, which moves in the direction of thearrow, Fig. 1, and out through the open end 541- Supported at the rearof the truck upon uprights 55, secured to the cross beam 1 at spacedintervals, are a series of distributing elements in the form oftriangular wedge-like plows 56, said plows, as best shown in Fig. 1.,being distributed across the back of the truck and being in number andwidth SUiliClBIlt to substantially overlie the entire width of theroadbed. The said uprights 55 are preferably adjustably secured. to the189.111 1 to permit vertical adjustment of the distributing elements tovary the space between these and the underlying roadbed.

Carried upon the cross beams 1 and 2 and comprising cross bars 57 whichbridge the space between the said cross beams and overlie the belt 1 t,is a series of superstructures which constitute supports for a series ofdeflect-or blades 58, 59, and 61, these blades being secured to anddepending from the bridge pieces 57, and being disposed one directly infront of each of the points' of the respective plows 56. As best shownin 1, these deflector blades 58 are dis posed at an angle to thedirection of movement of the belt with one end lying substantially overthe rear edge of the belt and with their lower edges in close proximityto thef'bel l's upper sur ace. Of these deflector blades, the bladenearest the hopper, designatcd by the numeral 58, is less in width thanany of the others, each of the blades 59, 60 and 61, increasing in widthby predetermined increments equal substantially to the width of theblade 58. In this man ner the dirt or other material is carried from thehopper 54; outwardly upon the belt, each of the blades deflects from thebelt approximately the same amount of the conveyed material, which isaccordingly deflected laterally from the belt and falls to the roadbeddirectly in front of the noses of the respective plows. V

In order to prevent the dirt from collecting upon the parts of the truckand upon the lower side of the belt, deflectors 62 are employed, as bestshown in Fig. 3, which guide the dirtoutwardly away from the lowerportion of the belt. A suitable scraper 63 is also provided sopositioned and supported by the cross beams 1 and 2 as to scrape theinside of the belt free from any material that may collect there.

As best shown in Fig. 2, the truck is adapted to travel upon rails orbeams 6 L, G l, which constitute the side forms between which theconcrete is confined, these side beams in the present instance beingformed of metal of suitable cross section to present a. smooth andvertical surface to the concrete and a flat horizontal surface as thetrack for the wheels.

it will be noted that in the present in stance the blade 61 is not quitewide enough to completely lie across the entire width of the belt,thereby permitting a small amount of dirt to be carried to the end whereit falls to the roadbed; and furthermore, the plow 56 at this side ofthe machine is left at some distance from the end of the belt and fromth side of the underlying road- The di t or sand which passesover the rr i rail and gives a surplus covering the edge of the concrete when theform or rail is removed. This pi'le may be simply pushed over the edgeof the con crete and saves long carry by shovel from the opposite sideof the road where the dirt is located. iliere is, of Cour e, dirtavailable at the said opposite side of the road to cover the exposededge of the concrete without extra labor.

The ends of the beams 1 and 2 which import the hopper project outwardlybeu '11 the beams i-l, i, at that side of the truck and in such mannerthat the said hopper overlies the ground at the side of the roadbed,thereby providing easy access to the iopperto the men who supply thedirt or sand which forms the road covering said dirt or sand aspreviously stated being. deposited at this side of the road.

-t will also be noted that the beam 3 is extended beyond the cross beams4: on the i ro e 9 accordingly collects in a pile or 5 hopper side ofthe truck, and the cross beams 4:, 4:, at this end of the truck are madedetachable from the cross beams 1, 2 and 3, to permit their being movedoutwardly when it is desired to use the machine on roads of greaterwidth. For this purpose also, the shaft 42 is formed of separate partsconnected by means of a suitable coupling 65, thereby to permit thenecessary extension of the shaft 42 by the insertion of short sections.

The operation of the machine is as follows: The machine is stationed atone end of the stretch of concrete over which it is desired to spreadthe layer of dirt or sand and the engine set in motion to advance themachine down the road, the wheels, as previouslv described, travelingupon the bounding bars for the concrete which constitute tracks. As themachine travels slowly over the concrete, the hopper is fed with thedirt or sand by operators who maintain their position opposite thehopper, the dirt being carried by the endless belt conveyer fr thehopper and being deflected by the deflector blades in such a manner asto fall in front of the respective spreading ele ments. These latter areso shaped and positioned relative to each other that this deposited dirtor sand is spread in a substantially even layer over the surface of theconcrete.

The machine has been found to effect a substantial economy in thisparticular spreading operation in the process ofconcrete road-building,this saving being found in the fact of the great accessibility .to themen handling the dirt of the hopper, which eliminates the necessity fortheir throwing the dirt out over the concrete. Heretofore, also, inorder to obtain a proper distribution of the dirt over the concrete, ithas been necessary for the men on occasion to step out on the surface ofthe concrete, and accordingly by using this machine, the covering can beplaced sooner on fresh concrete because of the fact that no walking onthe surface is necessary. This early covering and wetting is ofconsiderable advantage in the curing process.

it will be apparent that numerous modifications over the form of themachine herein described may be possibl with no departure from theessential features of the invention.

1 claim: a

1. In a machine of the type specified, the combination with a travelingframe, of a beltconveyer carried by and movable laterally of the frame,means intermediate the ends of the conveyer for deflecting materialtherefrom in, operative engagement with and overlying said conveyer tothe ground surface over which the said frame travels, and means fordistributing the material over said surface.

2. In a machine of the type specified, the combination with a travelingframe, of means carried by the frame for depositing 'al therefrom at aplurality of transpositioned points upon the ground over which the frametravels, an ent carried by said frame rea wardly c point at which thesaid deposit is mace and adapted to operate upon the deposited materialto spread it in a substantially even layer over the said'surface, andmeans for adjusting the spreading element to vary the depth of thematerial spread upon the surface.

3. In a machine of the type specified, the con'ibination with atraveling frame. of a belt conveyer carried by and movable laterally ofthe frame, and deflector blades disposed at intervals above and inoperative engagement with the conveyer and adapted to deflect materialfrom the conveyer to "is ground surface over which the frame In amachine of the type specified, the combination with a traveling frame,of a conveyer carried by and movable laterally of said frame, and aseries of deflectors posi tioned above the conveyer and at intervalsalong its length and adapted to deflect material from the conveyer, thedeflector blades having one vertical edge substantially overlying oneedge of the convey-er and increasing uniformly in width in the directionof movement of the conveyer.

5. In a machine of the type specified, the combination with a travelingframe, of a conveyer carried by and movable laterally ofthe frame, aplurality of spaced deflectors adapted to deflect material from theconveyer, and a spreader disposed rearwardly of each of said deflectorsfor distributing the material over the ground surface over which theframe travels.

6. In a machine of the type specified, the combination with a travelingframe, of a conveyer carried by and movable laterally of the frame andprojecting at one side beyond the side of the frame, and a hoppercarried by the frame and disposed over the projecting end of theconveyer.

7; In a machine of the type specified, a supporting frame comprising aplurality of lateral beams united by cross beams, wheels mounted on saidcross beams and supporting the frame, means for adjusting one set ofsaid cross beams longitudinally of the said lateral beams to vary thedistance between the opposed sets of wheels, a conveyor carried by andmovable laterally of the frame, and deflector blades disposed atintervals above the conveyer and adapted to deflect material from the.conveyer to the ground surface over which the frame travels.

nowaun w. UNDERWQOD,

